Historical geography

Scotland is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. The country has a deep connection with nature as they have preserved most of their parks, lochs, reserves, and wildlife having only one land connection with England. The rest are coastal areas that exclude them from the influence of a rapidly changing time.

Part of the United Kingdom

Scotland sits at the tip of the United Kingdom and makes up one-third of the whole of Great Britain. Its name means “Scotia” in Latin meaning land of the Scots. These are the early settlers in the area coming from Ireland with Celtic descent around the 5th century. They are sometimes referred to as Caledonia coming from Caledonii. This is a Roman name that refers to the tribe that occupied the same area in the past.

The relationship between Scotland and Great Britain has been a colorful one, to say the least. Since the merger in 1707 as part of the whole of the United Kingdom, Scotland simply considers itself as a separate country. They have their own colorful history and national identity and even use a distinct dialect called Scots.

Physical structure

Scotland is at the tip of the UK with the Atlantic Ocean to its west and north and the North Sea to the East. The only land border it has is to the south with England. It is estimated to be about 60 miles long east to west from the North Sea all the way to Solway Firth. With almost 75% of its border made up of coastal areas, there is no question how the geography of the place is mostly formed by water on its borders.

From the west going up all the way to the east, the coastline has deep indentations of lochs or bodies of waters. As a result, a number of islands have formed having various shapes and sizes. From Skye to Mull to Lewis and Harris, these islands have been a big part of the country.Two island clusters can also be found up north with Shetland and Orkney.

Topographic areas

As a country, Scotland is divided into three distinct topographical areas. The Scotland that a lot of people have grown to love is the Highlands in the north. The central lowlands are categorized as the Midland Valley and the last is the Southern Uplands. The last two (Midland Valley and Southern Uplands) are usually referred to as the Lowlands.

When it comes to its coastlines, the east part has a friendlier North Sea giving its islands a smoother outline. On the other end, the Atlantic Ocean is much more brute and strong making the area a little rougher. These characteristics separate the two coasts of Scotland.